Let
us pray,
Our
God Dear Father we seek your favor. We ask in your precious Son’s name in the
name of Jesus give us servant’s hearts. Keep us in the hollow of your hand as
trusting children. Make us to know the riches of your grace as we chose to
serve and do your will as we make ourselves available to share your love in
this world. In a time of difficulties and
impossibilities; Send us forth, that we may share Jesus and his
redeeming grace to save. O God we ask for Christ sake. Amen.
The
furtherance of the gospel is not how well we have studied, It is not how well we can preach or present our Charisma
and charm to the listen ear. It is all evolved around God, His Word, His Power
to save. The word of God is not bound. The power of the Holy Spirit can work
through a vessel that is yielded, obedient
and fully cleansed as blood washed servants should be “fit for the
Master’s use”.
Turn
to our text:
Acts
7:50 “Hath not my hand made all these
things?”
It
is interesting to take a verse as we have this evening and begin to open up in
the expositors form a theme that has mystified the whole world even to much
degree the body of Christ. The perplexing Theme of God and his hand upon his
messenger as he moves to unfold his message.
Lets
look at our servant, Here we find in chapter 6:8 “And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and
miracles among the people,” Looking back in verse 3 we see as they sought among
themselves…”seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom
we may appoint over this business.” Then in verse 5 “the saying pleased the
whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and
Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas, etc. etc.
Our
attention of course is the hand of the Lord upon Stephen, We see as it is
written He was full of the Holy Ghost. It is evident he had a personal ongoing
relationship with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Now
we come to verses 9 as Stephen responded to the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and
Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and Asia. They began disputing with him.
“And
all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had
been the face of an angel.”
My
objective this evening is to left up Jesus and his power to work through me a
vessel of clay and the greatness of His power, His hand to save and to work
even as he did with Stephen he can do:
… “great wonders, miracles among the people.” I believe that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today,
and forever.” Dear young person our theme in these messages has been with the
purpose to be equipped for evangelism to be able to go and carry out the Great
Commission, Jesus said: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to
every creature… and he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand
of God. And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with
them,and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.” Mark
16:15,19,20.
Acts
7:50 “Hath not my hand made all these things?”
OH
my dear friend we need to depend on God and trust in his hand. Resting in him,
waiting upon the bidding of his all powerful, hand. He is sufficient. You’re
thinking now, Oh it sounds so easy yet it is so difficult. Yes it is impossible
to live the Christian life. My Dear Believer in Christ Jesus, please turn in
your Bible to Romans 12 and let’s read verses 1 and 2, “I BESEECH you
therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God. That ye present your bodies
a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable
service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the
renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and
perfect, will of God.”
From
this passage I would ask that you see closely how we can be “vessels fit for
the Masters use”.
First
we see Stephen was “A Man of the
Word of God”
Acts
chapter 7 verses 1 through to verses 50 he preaches boldly the whole Old
Testament account of Abraham his family and Joseph and his experience with his
brethren in Egypt then Moses with his calling from God to free the People of
God from Egypt. “Rapping it up” in a bold 0ritorial fashion preaching his heart
out with nothing but what God’s Word…
Unfolds:
Acts
7:50 “Hath not my hand made all these things?”
It’s
through the Word of God you can find a victorious life, holiness, character,
all through the “Transforming by the renewing of your mind…” in the Word of God. Through the Word of God you’ll discover and
become adjusted even in correct perfect tune as to the “Mind of Christ” I Cor.
2:1-16. Through the Word of God you’ll be able to declare with authority
teaching and preaching under the
anointing of the power of the Word of
God. II Timothy 3:15-16 & 4:1-2.
Second
we see Stephen was “A Man of Prayer”
A
Man of the Word of God is always a man of prayer. Let’s turn to the book of Luke chapter 6, verse 12. Here we
find: “And it came to pass in those
days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in
prayer to God”. Our Saviour Jesus all night in prayer to God.
A
man of Prayer intercedes for the people. We read of Samuel the Man of God in I
Samuel 15 verse 11 “It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he
is turned back from following me, and hath
not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto
the Lord all night.” I can at this
moment share a handful of Bible verses on prayer however to stay within the
confines of our text I will leave these verses found in Ephesians chapter 3
verses 12 through 20 “In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by
faith of him. . . Now unto him that is
able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think , according to
the power that worketh in us.”
Acts
7:50 “Hath not my hand made all these things?”
Third
we see Stephen was “A Man of Service Toward Others”
We
find the scriptures giving reference to Stephen as a qualified candidate to
“serve tables” verse 2 of Acts 6. You want to be endued from on high, and be
greatly used of God with His power and anointing. Empty your “self” out that
you may be Filled to serve “Others” for Jesus.
Fourth
we see Stephen and all such servants of God are “Men of Giving”
Jesus
said in Mathew 6 verses 21 through 33 “For where your heart is, there will be
your treasure also… May I say dear believer friend no where in all the Bible
will you find Jesus giving a standing ovation with this one exception. Still preaching he proclaimes: “And said,
behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand
of God.” This man gave his all; his everything, he gave his life. First above
all “Present your body a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is
your reasonable service.”
Acts
7:50 “Hath not my hand made all these things?”
Fifth
we can see clearly Stephen was a “Man of Soul Winning, Witnessing, World
Vision, Concerned for the Whole World”
“If
so be that you have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in
Jesus… Ephesians 4:20-25, “He that
saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked… I
John 2:6, Even as Jesus boldly said we need to believe with conviction: “I must
be about my Father’s business… Luke 2:49, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me
to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives… Luke 4:18-32.
With conviction as Paul the Apostle: …
“a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the
gospel of God,” Romans 1:1.
Acts
7:50 “Hath not my hand made all these things?”
Then
we see a sixth attribute that is essential: “A Man of Character”
Please
stand as we open up a sacred passage found in Psalms. The Fifteenth Psalm. Yes
all Scripture is sacred and worthy of our respect. However, in this day and age
Character and holiness with true reverence and fear is sadly diminished. Let’s
read: “Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy
hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the
truth in his heart. He that backbiteth
not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbor, nor taketh up a
reproach against his neighbor. In whose eyes a vile person is condemned; but he
honoureth them that fear the Lord. He
that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. He that putteth not out his
money to usury, nor taketh reward
against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved”.
Acts
7:50 “Hath not my hand made all these things?”
You
may be seated. Please remember it is God’s Holy Word. He is God. We need to
come into his presence and become his that his hand may take and shape us as he
pleases servants fit for the master
use. So we would be able to hear clearly as Stephen could hear: Yes, the voice
from above:
“Hath
not my hand made all these things?”
The
Seventh virtue we see in Stephen is, he was a “A Man of God”
In
this modern time we live. It is rare for a young person to dedicate his or her
life to be a Man of God or a Woman of God. It’s now fashionable for young Christians to drink a few glasses of
wine or beer, pierce themselves, go to the all night RAVES, go to the dances,
smoke cigarettes, Marijuana and premarital sex what is that?
Young
Person if God is going to call the shots in your life. Now you’ll go to the
FIRE meetings in the place of RAVES. Believe in abstinence, Now faithfully
attending your youth group Bible study and choosing to be a Spirit filled
Christian seeking the mind of Christ for your life and lifestyle. As a Man of God
growing in the gentleness of his grace and able to hear the gentleness of his
voice:
“Hath
not my hand made all these things?”
By:
Hno. Roberto L. Choleva